There is something very unassuming about two time National Award winning director Kaushik Ganguly. Ganguly's latest film 'Chotoder Chobi' has just won award for being the best film with social message at the 62 National Film Awards and Ganguly very humbly says he did his part to narrate the story of those who are mocked by the society at large.
'Chotoder Chobi' narrates the story of two circus clowns and their love story in the backdrop of a fading circus. "While most of us laugh at them, they too have serious issues in their lives. They too have to deal with regular problems like us," explains Ganguly during an interview with IBNlive.com.
The filmmaker came up with the idea of making a film on them while interacting with them in between shots. "I used to see them shoot for other films in the studio where I used shoot my film. In between shots, I would chat up with them- mostly out of curiosity. After speaking to them I realized, that even though they provide comic relief on screen, off screen they have serious things to deal with. Most of the dwarfs who work in film industry do not really get due respect for their hard work. The society has sectionalized them, their dreams are getting dwarfed as a result," said the director.
The film's lead actor Dulal Sarkar, won the best actor award at IFFI 2014 in Goa. "Post the success of the film, Dulal has found new found respect in the society. For me, that is the biggest achievement," adds the director.
Bengali films have done well at 62nd National Film Awards. Does Ganguly feel that Bengali films are getting their due credit in the national arena now? "Yes, in the last few years, people have started recognizing the good work that is happening in the Bengali film industry. There is a team of directors- they are consistently doing good work and now a new crop of directors like Arindam Sil, Anindya Chatterjee who are doing well."
"A lot of awareness has come because the films are being sent outside Bengal. My film 'Apur Panchali' got very good response at various international festivals. So did 'Chotoder Chobi'- it did average business but was appreciated and awarded at festivals."
The filmmaker, like most of his peers, also feels that the new diktats given by the Censor are unnecessary and believes that the India, like Hollywood, should also rate films according to age. "How can they regulate an individual's opinion? New rules are trying to regulate reality which is not right," said the director and adds, "India, it seems, is like an 'ashram'. No one says bad words here, no one does anything wrong. We are creating a tampered history by censoring so much."
The director, whose films always focus of social issues, is working on his next project which narrates the story of a single screen theater owner and his son and is called 'Cinemawala'. "The story focuses on the owner after his theater shuts down after the advent of multiplexes in cities." Any plans of working in Bollywood, "My work is getting recognized nationally as well as internationally. I am sure that people in Bollywood are also noticing the work. If someone offers me a project, I would love to. Bollywood needs to have that space for my kind of cinema."
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